Baseball Toaster: Bronx Banter : Seriously Funny

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Alex:
Ray Negron part 1 2 3 4
Dad, Reggie and Me
Slaughterhouse Five
Way Out in Brooklyn
Heat Fave
Passing
Love, Death and Baseball

Cliff:
The Ugly Truth About the New Yankee Stadium
First-Half Review
2008 Draft Roundup
July Farm Report
2008 Campers
All-Star Game: 1977, 2008
The Holy "Trinity": 1904 1949
Yankees by the Numbers
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Alex:
Strikes and Gutters: A Year with the Coen Brothers: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
My 20 Favorite Hip Hop Albums
Greatest Singles from Hip Hop's Golden Era (1986-1994)
Ten Neglected Hip Hop Classics

Cliff:
Tin Ear
Pazz & Jop ballots: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 (post), 2002, 2001
Clem Snide
Eminem
Sleater-Kinney

Bronx Banter Interviews

Roger Angell
Allen Barra
Jim Bouton
Howard Bryant: Part 1, Part 2
Ken Burns: Part 1, Part 2
Will Carroll
Ethan Coen
Harvey Frommer
Malcom Gladwell
Bill James
Pat Jordan
Chuck Korr: Part 1 Part 2
Jane Leavy
Michael Lewis
Tim Marchman
Marvin Miller
Rob Neyer: Part 1, Part 2
Buster Olney: April 2003, Sept. 2004
Buck O'Neil
Joe Posnanski
Alan Schwarz
Joel Sherman
Tom Verducci

Excerpts

Juicing the Game by Howard Bryant Part 1 Part 2
Forging Genius by Steven Goldman Part 1 Part 2
How About That! by Stephen Borelli
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff
The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner
Clemente by David Maraniss
The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanaski
Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson:
Yankee Century: Part 1 Part 2
Red Sox Century: 1 2 3 4
The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball

Players

Major Leauge Roster:

Infielders:
J. Giambi BR BP E MLB
R. Cano BR BP E MLB
D. Jeter BR BP E MLB
A. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
W. Betemit BR BP E MLB mi
C. Ransom BR BP E MLB mi
J. Miranda BR BC mi

Outfielders:
B. Abreu BR BP E MLB
J. Damon BR BP E MLB
X. Nady BR BP E MLB
H. Matsui BR BP E MLB mi
B. Gardner BR E MLB mi
M. Cabrera BR BP E MLB mi

Catchers:
I. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
J. Molina BR BP E MLB
C. Moeller BR BP E MLB mi
F. Cervelli BR BC mi

Starting Pitchers:
M. Mussina BR BP BC E
A. Pettitte (L) BR BP BC E
P. Hughes BR BP BC E mi
C. Pavano BR BP BC E mi
A. Aceves BR E mi

Relief Pitchers:
M. Rivera BR BP BC E
J. Chamberlain BR BP BC E
D. Marte (L) BR BP BC E
J. Veras BR BP BC E mi
E. Ramirez BR BP BC E mi
B. Bruney BR BP BC E mi
D. Giese BR BP BC E mi
C. Britton BR BP BC E mi
P. Coke (L) BR BC E mi
D. Rasner BR BP BC E mi
S. Ponson BR BP BC E mi
D. Robertson BR BC E mi
H. Sanchez BC mi

15-day DL:
C. Wang BR BP BC E
60-day DL:
J. Posada BR BP E MLB
J. Albaladejo BR BP BC E mi
A. Brackman BC

Coaches:
J. Girardi (Mgr) BR BP BC
R. Thomson (Bench) BC
Kevin Long (Hit) BR
D. Eiland (Pitch) BR BP BC
B. Meacham (3B) BR BP BC
T. Peña (1B) BR BP BC
M. Harkey (Pen) BR BP BC

40-man Roster:
AAA
S. Duncan BR BP E MLB mi
J. Christian BR BP E MLB mi
I. Kennedy BR BP BC E mi
C. Wright (L) BR BP BC E mi
J. Marquez BR BC mi

Designated for Assignment:
B. Traber (L) BR BP BC E mi

Select Minor Leaguers:

AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees:
B. Castro BR mi DL
C. Basak BR BP BC E MLB mi
E. Duncan BC mi
N. Green BR mi
B. Broussard BR mi
M. Carson BC mi
C. Stewart BR BP E MLB mi
J. Brown BC mi DL
K. Igawa (L) BR BP BC E JB mi
M. Melancon BC mi
J.B. Cox BC mi
S. Strickland BR BC mi
S. Jackson BC mi
E. Milton BR BC mi DL
V. Zambrano BR BC mi DL

AA Trenton Thunder:
K. Russo BR mi
R. Peña BC mi DL
C. Malec BC mi
M. Vechionacci BC mi DL
A. Jackson BC mi
C. Curtis BC mi
E. Gonzalez BR mi
P.J. Pilittere BC mi
J. Jones BC mi
G. Kontos BC mi
J. Nuñez BC mi
B. Smith BC mi DL
A. Claggett BC mi
O. Perez BR BC mi
M. Gardner BC mi
K. Whelan BC mi
W. Arias (L) BC mi

A Tampa Yankees:
E. Nuñez BC mi
C.J. Henry BC mi DL
T. Battle BC mi
K. Anson BC mi
J. Gil BC mi
A. Horne BC mi DL
Z. McAllister BC mi
W. De La Rosa (L) BC mi
C. Garcia BC mi

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:
J. Snyder BC mi
M. Cusick BC mi
B. Suttle BC mi
A. Romine BC mi
J. Montero BC mi
D. Betances BC mi
J. Heredia BC mi
J. Ortiz BC mi
C. Heyer BC mi

Low-A Staten Island Yankees:
D. Adams mi
P. Venditte mi

Rookie Gulf Coast Yankees:
C. Joseph mi
C. Smith mi
K. Higashioka mi

Key:
BR = Baseball-Reference
BP = Baseball Prospectus
BC = Baseball Cube (past mL stats)
mi = MiLB.com (current mL stats)
E = ESPN (current splits, game logs)
MLB = MLB.com hit charts
JB = Japanese Baseball.com

The Recently Departed

2008 Yankees:
R. Sexson BR BP E MLB
M. Ensberg BR BP E MLB CLE mL
A. Gonzalez BR BP E MLB mi WAS
K. Farnsworth BR BP BC E DET
L. Hawkins BR BP BC E HOU
S. Patterson BR BC mi SD

Nady/Marte Trade:
J. Tabata BC mi
J. Karstens BR BP BC E mi
R. Ohlendorf BR BP BC E
D. McCutchen BC mi

2008 Campers/mLers:
C. Woodward BR BP BC E MLB PHI mL
J. Lane BR mi BOS mL
G. Porter BC mi WAS mL
J.D. Closser BR mi SD mL
S. Henn (L) BR BP BC E mi SD
H. Phillips (L) BR BC mi TB mL
S. White BR BC mi

2007 Yankees:
J. Torre (Mgr) BR BP BC LAD
D. Mientkiewicz BR BP BC E MLB PIT
A. Phillips BR BP BC E MLB mi CIN
J. Phelps BR BP BC E MLB STL
M. Cairo BR BP BC E MLB SEA
K. Thompson BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT
B. Sardinha BC mi SEA mL
W. Nieves BR BP BC E MLB WAS
R. Clemens BR BP BC E mi
T. Clippard BR BP BC E mi WAS
L. Vizcaino BR BP BC E COL $7.5m/2yrs
M. DeSalvo BR BP BC E mi ATL mL
M. Myers (L) BR BP BC E LAD mL
R. Villone (L) BR BP BC E mi STL
S. Proctor BR BP BC E LAD
J. Brower BR BP BC E mi CIN mL
C. Bean BR BP BC E mi ATL mL

2007 Campers and mLers:
E. Durazo BR BP BC E MLB mi
A. Cannizaro BR BP BC E MLB mi TB mL
A. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi LAD mL
K. Reese BR BP BC E MLB mi
R. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT mL
O. Santos BC mi BAL mL
T. Pratt BR BP BC E MLB
T.J. Beam BR BP BC E mi PIT mL
B. Kozlowski (L) BR BP BC E mi Japan

Molina Trade:
J. Kennard BC mi

Abreu Trade
M. Smith (L) BR BP BC E mi PHI
C. Monasterios BC mi PHI
J. Sanchez mi PHI

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Seriously Funny

2008-06-23 18:20

by Alex Belth

For more than ten years I've talked about records, record labels, record producers, rare 45 b-sides and comedians with my dear friend Alan who knows more about records and record history than anyone I know, and it's not even close. When we see each other, we usually go right into an old Carlin routine, or a Lenny Bruce sketch, or Bugs Bunny riff. Alan was the first guy I thought of this morning. When he got into work and saw the red light on his phone, he knew who the message was from

I got the following e-mail from Alan this afternoon:

George Carlin records were the comedy soundtrack of my childhood. I heard "AM/FM" and "Class Clown" when I about 9 years old. First to laugh hysterically at them, then to memorize them, then to imitate every single vocal inflection contained on them ("Hey, who's wearing chicken vegetable", "Not me, I have bean with bacon"). I learned about language, culture, and humor from absorbing these records (and soon many more). Thank you, George.

I love comedy records.

Pretty much any records that have made me laugh or still make me laugh, are things I listen to more than anything else these days. This feeling is not limited to stand-up comedy records, but I'll be brief.

These are the records that have cracked me tup more than any others.

Lenny Bruce - "Let The Buyer Beware" (audiobook), "The Carnegie Hall Concert" and "Thank You, Masked Man".
George Carlin - "AM/FM", "Class Clown",and "Occupation: Foole"
Richard Pryor - "That Nigger's Crazy", "Is It Something I Said"
Franklyn Ajaye - "Don't Smoke Dope, Fry Your Hair"
Bill Cosby - "Wonderfulness"
Steve Martin - "Let's Get Small"
Lewis Black - "The Carnegie Hall Concert"
Patton Oswalt - "Werewolves and Lollipops"

A top-ten stand-up list?
hmmm....

Let's break it down this way

1. Lenny Bruce
2/3. George Carlin / Richard Pryor (you decide, I can't)

4-10 then-ish

4. Jonathan Winters (didn't make great records, but no one is funnier to watch)
5. Bill Cosby
6. Rodney Dangerfield
7. Alan King
8. Jackie Mason (more for the one man shows in the 80's & 90's than for his eary stuff)
9. Moms Mabely
10. Charlie Callas (along with Winters, very few could get a laugh just by showing up)

4-10 now-ish

4. Lewis Black
5. Patton Oswalt
6. Chris Rock
7. Bernie Mac
8. David Cross
9. Ron White
10. Eddie Izzard

I'd throw in "A Star is Bought," by Albert Brooks as one of my favorite comedy albums, along with "Wild and Crazy Guy," (Steve Martin), "The 2013 Year Old Man" (Brooks and Reiner) and the double lp of Woody Allen's stand up years. Oh, and maybe Eddie Murphy's debut too. But not before I added "Live in Concert," the double Richard Pryor lp. Oh, there are lots more. Nichols and May, Robin Williams, the National Lampoon stuff, the old Peter Sellers records...The Bob and Doug record used to crack me up.

Here's a question. Who are the funniest comics to have never made a great album? Mort Sahl and Jonathan Winters, who some people claim is the funniest man on the face of the earth, spring to mind. I never cared for Lily Tomlin's records either. Whatta ya got?

Comments

2008-06-23 18:48:24

1. jkay

http://tinyurl.com/4xbjzo

George Carlin's cat nearly gave (one) life to Dodgers

2008-06-23 19:11:34

2. Mr OK Jazz TOKYO

I think Pryor goes above Bruce because of his physicality and vocal mimicry...

for sheer hysterics on album I'd say he lyrics to Yes "Tales From Topographic Oceans" are top ten..

2008-06-23 19:34:01

3. cult of basebaal

QUIT YER BELLYACHING BUCK RODGERS, IT'S JUST A DIVER'S WATCH!

glad to see you dig the patton, gotta say he's my favorite out there right now

those of you who don't know him ... or know him only as the voice of remy in ratatouille, here's a representative sample:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkN226PToig

2008-06-23 19:47:00

4. Yankee Fan in Chicago

No love for Bob Newhart in any of those lists?

2008-06-23 19:48:38

5. Yankee Fan in Chicago

I also have to give props to Don Rickles. The recent documentary on him that HBO has been running -- Mr. Warmth -- is really outstanding.

2008-06-23 20:22:33

6. Chyll Will

I discovered this very same record among my brother's private stash years ago, but only after seeing him on Robert Townsend's first "Partners in Crime" special on HBO. Seems he was high as a kite throughout most of the recording, or definitely seriously whacked out by the end of it. Ajaye seemed to stay on the fringes throughout his whole career, though he did peek through the surface at odd times. I think he was more successful as a comedic writer than with standup or film roles.

Strange no one mentioned Redd Foxx; his "Confucius" routine is classic...
http://www.listal.com/video/5741651

2008-06-23 21:15:30

7. Chyll Will

6 Better Redd Foxx sample:

http://www.jibjab.com/view/122001

2008-06-23 22:33:21

8. TokyoTom

So George is not on the list because he is above the list? (No pun intended)

I know some of you guys don't like him, but Dane Cook made me fall out of my chair and have stomach cramps.

Eddie Izzard actually made me cry. Only comic that has made me laugh that hard.

2008-06-23 22:42:27

9. TokyoTom

Favorite Carlin lines:
Why is their stuff "shit" and your shit "stuff"?
How come anyone on the road who's driving faster than you is a maniac and anyone driving slower than you is an asshole?
And the discussion of why "tits" should not be among the 7 words. It sounds like a nickname, "Tits meet Toots. Toots, Tits."

2008-06-23 22:44:43

10. TokyoTom

Add to the list: Jerry Seinfeld. Saw him in West Orange, NJ, I believe it was in Rascals, about a year before his show came out. Nearly pissed myself...stomach cramps.

2008-06-24 00:21:49

11. Eric Enders

Can we get some love for Bill Hicks?

2008-06-24 04:36:03

12. ChuckM

9 "New Nabisco Tits" always kills me.

I lost most, if not all, respect for Dane Cook once I realized how many bits he stole from other comedians.

2008-06-24 05:24:01

13. Alex Belth

Yeah, Bob Newhart needs to get some love. His debut record, "Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart" was an enormous hit for Warner Bros, and led to the Cosby records. He was seminal.

I never really laughed too much at Hicks. Thought he was smart but he didn't make me laugh. But a lot of people think Lenny Bruce was overrated and unfunny too. I happen to love some of the early Bruce stuff--"Lima, Ohio," "The Palladium," "White Collar Drunks," "How White People Entertain Colored People at the Party"

2008-06-24 06:02:35

14. TokyoTom

Wait. After re-reading the post, I realized that Robin Williams was not on the list. Can't be. One of his HBO specials is pure genius. Some bit about baseball players imagining the lines on the field like lines of blow. Circa 1980s, Mets, etc.

2008-06-24 06:06:01

15. TokyoTom

12 Didn't know that about Cook. What's the deal? His BJ story is hilarious. The bit about crying....maybe I don't get out enough. However he does some religious and racial stuff that I don't dig.

2008-06-24 06:27:45

16. ChuckM

Cook robbed quite a few bits from Louis C.K. and some from Demetri Martin. There are a few others from what I understand, I just can't research them all right now thanks to the damn web-filter at work.

2008-06-24 08:03:43

17. Chyll Will

15 Scott Long over at The Juice called out Cook just as ChuckM describes, and also Denis Leary. One commenter even noted from a magazine article that an LA club had a system to alert performing comedians when those three (and especially Robin Williams) were in the audience, so that they could not give out their best material. It was part of a conversation about Joe Rogan confronting Carlos Mencia, who is about as transparent a comedy thief as you can get.

The thing with Cook, among others, is that he liberally borrows material, but is very slick about it. He gives a good performance and works the audience (anyone that saw the posters for his recent comedy special can sense this), but some of his material is co-opted from Louis C.K. and others...

http://thejuice.baseballtoaster.com/archives/591698.html